This invention relates in general to call distribution systems and, in particular, to a system for distributing task requests to a group of task performers in relative frequencies selected by the task performers.
Currently, a caller unfamiliar with the businesses offering a particular desired service must initiate a dialog with a directory-assistance operator. The operator must then use a business-category form of database search to supply a candidate set of listings. The operator must then select one or more listings from this candidate set to quote to the caller under restrictive practice rules that insure fairness in call distribution among the businesses competing in the same category as requested by the caller. This process is labor-intensive and time-consuming, and depends completely on the operator""s implementation of the practice for fairness and efficiency. There is no just provision for a business to increase or decrease its expected share of the listing quotations.
The invention eliminates operator involvement in designated high-volume categories of this type of call, and has the following advantages over current systems:
1. The invention offers to its subscription providers, the telecommunications companies, the opportunity for revenue from such automated calls, and the opportunity for revenue from ongoing subscriptions to the service by competing businesses.
2. The invention offers to its subscription providers, the telecommunications companies, the opportunity for reduction of the number of directory-assistance calls requesting listings for the most-frequently-called business services. This reduction translates directly to a reduction in cost of furnishing directory-assistance service.
3. By supplying to the callers the opportunity to select, with minimum effort, a business service from those participating in the subscription service, the subscription provider""s use of the invention places competitive pressure on all business services in a subscribable category to subscribe.
4. The invention offers to subscribing businesses a process for altering, within predefined limits and under predefined constraints, their expected proportion of the total number of calls received within a given business category, at a cost settable by the subscription provider.
5. The invention also offers to the subscribing businesses the ability to set dynamically the terms under which they will accept calls.
6. The invention offers to the callers the advantages of enhanced services incorporated in such calls: instant selection of a subscribing business service supplier, selection of a geographically-proximate supplier, potential for added selection criteria to restrict choices further, and extended dialog concerning a selected supplier""s detailed services.
The terms xe2x80x98competitorxe2x80x99 and xe2x80x98subscriberxe2x80x99 are used here to mean one of several businesses subscribing to the service defined by this invention, and falling within the range of competition as defined by business category, geographic area, caller location, and other distinguishing criteria as specified herein.
The term xe2x80x98subscription providerxe2x80x99 (SP) is used here to mean the telecommunications or other company providing the subscription service to businesses requesting participation in ACBCD for one or more categories of business.
The terms xe2x80x98categoryxe2x80x99 and xe2x80x98business categoryxe2x80x99 are used in the same sense here to mean a class of business as defined in commonly-accepted business classification schemes in use by telephone companies and other service providers.
The term xe2x80x98domainxe2x80x99 (more formally, xe2x80x98global category domainxe2x80x99) is used here to mean a subclass of business defined by geographic or other qualifications which restricts the set of matching listings to a subset of the set matching a given general business category. The caller""s identifying information, the time of day, the day of week, and other data elements may be included in these qualifications. The number and status of previous attempts to connect to the subscriber on the same call must be included in these qualifications, to allow elimination of a previously-quoted listing from repeated attempts to connect.
The term xe2x80x98callxe2x80x99 is used here to mean a request for service from a specific domain.
The term xe2x80x98callerxe2x80x99 is used here to mean an individual requesting service from a subscriber in a particular domain.